CPP now in quandary over “NPA surrenderees” ? Defense chief
Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has slammed the Communist Party of the Philippines for claiming that those individuals who have surrendered to the government were fake members of the New People’s Army.
In a statement, Lorenzana said the latest statement of CPP showed that they are now in a "quandary as to how they can reverse their current predicament."
“Because of the government’s sincere call for peace, they have lost a lot of fighters lately, and their mass base has rapidly dwindled," he said.
The CPP has claimed that the "NPA surrenderees" to the government were a complete hoax.
"Labelling everything that the government has achieved so far as a mere 'hoax' manifests desperation and obviously a futile attempt to discredit our efforts in forging peace," Lorenzana said.
He added that the CPP could not claim that those who surrendered were supporters since some of them were former rebels who had positions in the Maoist group.
"How can the CPP claim that most of the surrenderees are not NPA fighters but 'supporters' and even demand a public apology from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) when in fact, these former rebels who responded to the government’s call for peace include their former regional secretary in Far South Mindanao, their former Regional SDG (sentro de grabidad or fighting unit) commanders in northern Mindanao, and in Surigao, a front secretary in Davao, and a number of their platoon and team leaders, along with their firearms?" he explained.
Lorenzana said it should be the CPP-NPA that should apologize for deceiving people.
"The numbers are clear and the evidence is overwhelming. Several former rebels have returned to the fold of the law because they have seen through the lies and deception of their former comrades," he said.
He urged the public not to be deceived by the rebel group and called for its members to surrender to the government.
He said those who surrendered are now living a peaceful life and are being supported by the government through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a recent statement, the CPP-NPA said the AFP must end its practice of "red-tagging and making people pose as NPA members in violation of their rights."
"Such practice endangers the lives of people by deliberately blurring the lines between armed combatants and civilians," CPP said.
"To come up with big numbers, the AFP employs deception, threats and violence to force people pose as surrenderees. Under pain of being accused of NPA supporters, and for fear of being subjected to Marawi-like bombardment, civilians are compelled to 'cooperate' with the 'surrender' shows of the AFP," it added.
The AFP has said that 4,356 communist rebels have already surrendered to the government since January 1 to March 15, 2018. Ella Dionisio/DMS
